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12.

"Noona, do you have a watermelon at home?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Great, can we make fruit punch then?" Chenle asked excitedly.

"Lele, I'm sorry but that watermelon is reserved for someone else." Jieun said apologetically.

Chenle pouted and whined. "Noonaaa~ You can just buy another one or I'll but it later for you. For now, let's just use this one, please?"

Jieun patted Chenle's head softly. "Lele, I'm sorry but I really can't use that one. I promised him- If you really want it that badly, I'll just quickly go and buy another one. Okay?" Jieun said, standing up and going towards the door.

But just as she passed by the sofa, a hand grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Don't bother."

Jieun's eyes traveled to the owner of the hand. Renjun. He sat facing the TV, not even sparing her a glance and yet his grip on her arm was firm but gentle. "Chenle. She said no."

Jieun smiled reassuringly. "It's okay Renjun, the store is nearby only. I won't take long."  Renjun turned his head to look up at Jieun. His eyes, instinctively meeting hers. "You are hurt. Rest."

Chenle crossed his arms and pouted. "Fine, just this once. Next time, no excuses noona. And I would also like to meet this person, for whom you refused someone as important as me."

Jieun was about to say  something when the doorbell suddenly went off and the sound resonated throughout the house. Jieun looked at her brother and the others. "Did anyone of you order anything?" Everyone shook their heads in denial. 

"Strange... No one ever comes by our house... Then who and why...?" Jieun mumbled as she headed towards the main door. But before she could open it, somebody put their hand on her shoulder, stopping her. With her hand resting on the doorknob, she looked back only to come face to face with Renjun.

"Ren-" He gestured her to keep quiet. "It can be someone dangerous. I'm here just in case." He whispered, moving closer to her. Jieun could only nod before there was a loud banging on the door. Jieun flinched and Renjun immediately pulled Jieun behind her. "Who is it!?" He coldly asked through the closed door.

There was no reply. The banging stopped and then came sounds of  footsteps leaving. There was complete silence. Jieun let go of the breath she was holding and called out to Renjun softly. "I think whoever it was, left. We should open the door and check."

Renjun twisted the knob and carefully looked around before pulling back the door completely, to reveal the empty street outside. The sun was almost about to set and the sky was painted a beautiful shade of reddish-orange. There was a slight cold breeze in the air but the two 20-year old were more focused on the black envelope and the flower, lying on the doorstep.

Jieun moved past Renjun, towards the envelope. She bent down and picked up the envelope and the flower. 

A white chrysanthemum. 

With trembling hands, she opened the black envelope and took out the neatly folded paper. A name was  written on top of the letter, in red ink. 

Park Jieun

As she read the letter, it sent chills down her spine but she did not let it show on her face.

"What is it?" Renjun asked in a low voice.

Jieun hurriedly put the paper back in the envelope and turned around to face Renjun with a smile. "It's nothing. Don't worry. Let's go back inside." She walked past him, heading back into her house.

"Liar." Renjun called out.

Jieun stopped walking and turned around, confused. "Excuse me? Did you- did you just call me a liar?"

"Yes."

"Uh... I think you've misun-"

"You can't fool me Jieun. I know that envelope in your hand is not 'nothing'. It's some sort of threat right?"

"No, Renjun. It's nothing like that. It's just a letter from one of my friends, wishing me to get better."

Renjun scoffed. "Don't try if you can't lie. If you still have to, atleast lie convincingly."

"What-"

"That flower. You know it's meaning right?"

Jieun closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. It's probably a prank. Don't worry about it."

Renjun rose his eyebrows skeptically. He was about to say something but just then Jisoo walked into the hallway. "What are you two- Oh!" She stopped, and suspiciously glanced between both of them. "What is happening here? You two had better not be-"

"Jisoo!" Jieun gasped. "It's nothing like what you are imagining. You've been spending too much time on Wattpad... that's why you keep having such thoughts!!"

Jisoo smirked and slung her arm across Jieun's shoulders. "Oh honey, but I didn't complete my sentence, how do you know what I was  going to say?"

"I- Jisoo you-" Jieun sighed. She looked at Renjun, whose eyes were already on her and then at Jisoo who smiled at her mischievously. She shook her head and walked back into the house. "The others must be getting worried. Let's go."

Without waiting for Renjun's reply, Jieun walked away dragging Jisoo with her.

Renjun stood there, watching them enter the living room which was followed by loud, worried voices questioning Jieun. Renjun looked around the entrance and the street one last time before stepping inside the house and locking the door. 

He knew Jieun was hiding something. He could sense that whatever was written in the letter had to do something with Irene's murderer. He didn't understand why the girl would hide such an important information but he was sure of one thing. She's trying to protect somebody at the cost of her own safety. I won't let that happen.... I won't let the same thing happen again.

~~~

"Who was it?'

"Noona, what took you so long?"

"Was Renjun with you?"

"What were the two of you doing~"

"When did you two become so close?"

"Where did that flower come from?"

"Did Renjun hyung give it to you?"

"Where is Renjun?"

As soon as Jieun stepped into the living room, she was bombarded with questions. She felt like a criminal who was being interrogated.

"Okay, okay first of all calm down people!" Jieun raised her voice and instantly everyone became silent. "One, it was the post delivering this flower... probably some friend. Two, Renjun went with me for security reasons. Three, No. Renjun and I are not close. Four, we got delayed because we were talking about who could've sent me the flower. Five, Renjun's probably locking the door and coming back right now. Six, I'm tired so I'm going to my room."

 Giving a small smile, Jieun headed upstairs to her room, leaving everyone in the room speechless for a minute.

"Wasn't that a white chrysanthemum?"

"Isn't that like the flower symbolizing death?"

"Why would someone-"

Just then Renjun entered and everyone's heads turned towards him. Before anyone could ask him anything, Renjun made his way to the sofa and silently sat down, closing his eyes.

"No questions. I'm not answering."

There was another minute of silence in the living room but the chaos then resumed as the boys and Jisoo  played games, while occasionally killing off their own teammates. 

Meanwhile, Renjun sat  thinking about a particular girl as the said girl, was panicking in her room over the contents of the letter.